He nodded. “Avery and I have to be somewhere. We’re already late. But it was great to see you.”
“We’re only here for another couple days. Lunch, maybe?”
“Sure. I’ll call you Monday. I’ll come meet you and Buck.”
“What about you, Avery? Can you join us? I’d love to get to know you more.”
I studied her briefly. Her expression was open and friendly. She stood beside Buck, her arm wrapped around his waist, her head resting against his shoulder. She appeared to be everything Daniel and Buck said: affectionate, real, and simply Karen.
“Sure, if
I can arrange it at work.”
“We’ll work around your schedule,” she assured me.
“Okay.”
She stepped forward, kissing Daniel’s cheek, dragging him in for another hug. I found the last mint in my pocket.
“Don’t forget to call,” she teased. “You know I’ll chase you down.”
He chuckled. “I’m aware. Enjoy your lunch.”
They walked away, already lost to each other, talking.
Daniel steered me toward the truck, opened my door, lifting me into the cab before I could scramble in. He leaned forward, his chest pressing me into the leather upholstery. He crashed his lips to mine, kissing me, hard and deep.
“What was that for?” I gasped, trying to catch my breath.
“Reminding you who you belong to.”
I arched my eyebrow. “There was a question of that?”
“You were going to go have a drink with Buck.”
“May I remind you that you were so engrossed talking to your ex-girlfriend you didn’t even notice I was standing there anymore?”
He laughed low and husky in his chest, his breath floating over my skin. “I knew exactly where you were every second, Avery. I was chatting with Karen but most of the time my eyes were on you. I saw you gripping the door handle. I watched you eat your way through four”—he kissed me, stealing the last mint from my mouth with a wide smile—“make that three mints. What do you think she was teasing me about? She said she’d never seen me look so happy—or so protective. She had to remind me Buck was just being Buck.”
“He said the same of Karen.”
“They’re inseparable. I was thrilled to see her, but I was as aware of you as I always am.”
“Oh.”
“Jealous, Sprite?”
“Yes.”
His face morphed into a grin. “I felt the same way watching you talking to Buck. I guess we’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”
“You were jealous?”
“When he held out his hand, I thought I was going to come over and punch him if you took it.”
I ruffled his hair. “He was trying to give you some time together.”
“I’ll see them”—he emphasized the word—“at lunch. The only person I need time with right now is you.”